A This-n-That Catch Up Blog Post

 

Wow, busy times indeed.  Because of COVID-19?  Perhaps despite it.  

Anyway, lots to catch up on:

From the internet

Almost ready for Christmas...

My 20+ year old BIOS weather station has stopped transmitting outdoor temperature from the remote to the family room receiver.  Even new batteries didn't help as the receiver stopped displaying data too.  I noticed the wind cups were damaged too.  So I set off into town to replace it, despite not remembering where it had been purchased all those years ago.  Nada...anywhere.

Hating all the in-store madness during COVID-19, went home and got online, hoping the same BIOS station would be available.  Nada...again.  Nowhere on the internet!

the 20+ year old BIOS station...loved it!

 

I was really disappointed to not find the same weather station.  Then I found one BIOS station, without the wind-thingy...and ordered it.  On its arrival at my door, I was again disappointed that it's so small!  The inside unit is all of 4 inches tall!  (versus the previous unit's one foot-tall profile).  But the worst part is that the signal from the outdoor unit now takes a straight path from up to 100 feet distant.  The previous BIOS unit was also at about that range, but it could go around a corner!

It couldn't go on the wall where its predecessor was...because this new BIOS station can only send--and receive--in a straight line!  Darn it!  Oh well...

The receiver is only 4 inches tall!

Returning home from a Kelowna appointment, I opted for the Pelmewash Parkway return route along the lake.  Recently updated with a walking path and parking areas, it's a lovely spot even during the winter.  And most recently, this (above) magnificent pole and metal sculptures were erected by an indigenous group.  Absolutely lovely!

Beautifully done!

so cute...customers were laughing at his skinny legs!

Grandson's excited about Christmas...he's a bright light in our lives.

Here our daughter, her friend, friend's daughter and our grandson are enjoying Silver Star's first ski-able snow!

And of course, we're all listening for COVID-19 vaccine news.

We hope for good news, but expect either none -- or worse news.  Fingers crossed that next year will not be worse than 2020.  So many lives have been lost, and we feel for their families.

Yes...

Stay healthy everyone!

Corona Christmas

 

This true-to-life email arrived today:

 

T’was a Month Before Christmas 2020

T’was a month before Christmas,
And all through the town,
People wore masks,
That covered their frown.

The frown had begun
Way back in the Spring,
When a global pandemic
Changed everything.

They called it corona,
But unlike the beer,
It didn’t bring good times,
It didn’t bring cheer.

Contagious and deadly,
This virus spread fast,
Like a wildfire that starts
When fueled by gas.

Airplanes were grounded,
Travel was banned.
Borders were closed
Across air, sea and land.

As the world entered lockdown
To flatten the curve,
The economy halted,
And folks lost their verve.

From March to July
We rode the first wave,
People stayed home,
They tried to behave.

When summer emerged
The lockdown was lifted.
But away from caution,
Many folks drifted.

Now it’s November
And cases are spiking,
Wave two has arrived,
Much to our disliking.

Frontline workers,
Doctors and nurses,
Try to save people,
From riding in hearses.

This virus is awful,
This COVID-19.
There isn’t a cure.
There is no vaccine.

It’s true that this year
Has had sadness a plenty,
We’ll never forget
The year 2020.

And just ‘round the corner -
The holiday season,
But why be merry?
Is there even one reason?

To decorate the house
And put up the tree,
When no one will see it,
No-one but me.

But outside my window
The snow gently falls,
And I think to myself,
Let’s deck the halls!

So, I gather the ribbon,
The garland and bows,
As I play those old carols,
My happiness grows.

Christmas ain’t cancelled
And neither is hope.
If we lean on each other,
I know we can cope.

                             By Shawna Hickling Calgary, Alberta Canada

Oh, how true is that!  Thank you Shawna!

The End of Kelowna's Downtown Sawmill

It had stood for many many years, first as Simpsons Sawmill, then Crown Zellerbach, then Fletcher Challenge, then Riverside Forest Products before the company was sold to Tolko about 20 years ago.

In this Google map, the shaded and unnamed buildings at the north end of Guy Street included an office, sawmill, planermill, plywood plant, log yard and in recent years, a precipitator had been built to eliminate the dryer smoke.

Right on the foreshore of Okanagan Lake, the sawmill's location was across the lake from the Bear Creek Log Yard.  A small tugboat ushered log booms across the lake to the sawmill's infeed ramps.

I worked for Riverside Forest Products for 20 years, retiring in 1999, a year or two before Tolko purchased the entire business interests of Riverside.

Hired at Riverside's Lumby division, I can honestly say I loved my job.  Loved it!  Right from the start, the ensuing years and when I retired.  Honestly.  It was a great company to work for...great management with hard-working employees, many of whom became the friends I still treasure today.

So it was with fond memories last week that I decided to drive down to Guy Street during a short visit to Kelowna...I had heard the mill might be closing.  Not knowing any current Tolko employees (most of my Riverside colleagues had by now also retired), I wanted to see the facility again after all these years.

(I was working at the Kelowna head office when I retired).

I knew not to try to find all my short-cut "in and out" roads southeast of the facility, so I simply headed down Hwy 97 and turned right on Ellis.  The growth of downtown Kelowna was frankly amazing, so many new buildings, with many evidencing an "arty" air, restaurants and art supplies and pubs mixed with specialty shops including a tailor.  A lot had changed since I had last driven down these roads.

On approaching the waterfront, I noticed new condo towers, mini parks and small paved roads (one no larger than a common lane), all well landscaped with lovely trees, benches, paved walking areas.

Turning left on Bay, I soon found Guy Street and turned right.  Travelling one block towards the sawmill I expected the main office building to appear.  But first, I saw this:

This building was photographed as I left, so it's on the right of my vehicle.  But this development was on the left, beside the old Riverside main office, when I arrived.

Opening the vehicle window as I slowly drove past the main office, and approached other buildings, it was so very quiet.  No planer running, no forklifts feeding the sawmill from the log yard infeed, no mechanical trucks.  It was eerily quiet.

Just past the main office (not shown) at left, a few maintenance workers were walking about, carrying tools.  Beyond the red (parked) truck is the waterfront of Lake Okanagan

The eerie silence continued as I turned right and saw that several buildings were empty of equipment, with the tall precipitator tower already dismantled.

Some buildings had holes cut in their metal sides, presumably to allow easier removal of machinery.  This picture shows the gate where, in times past, log inventory would be stored after arriving from Bear Creek across the lake (in booms, guided by the Riverside tugboat).

I turned away from the mill without approaching the lakefront towards Poplar Point at the base of Knox Mountain.  Driving slowly back to the highway, I had mixed feelings about "progress".  I knew that a sawmill in the middle of a thriving modern town could no longer be accommodated in a modern society.  But for those of us whose income depended on the facility, it was a sad quietness.  I even turned the truck radio off to let that all "sink in".

And sink in it did.

The value of the former Riverside lands, on the waterfront, is obviously immense.  Many many years of sawmill activity had preserved the area from the city's insatiable sprawl in every direction.  Every direction but one.  To Poplar Point.

For the "old timers" like me and those who spent their entire working lives at this facility, emotions and thoughts were no doubt strong.  

Looking in my rear view mirror, one last time, I said good bye.

To a great career.  A career of which I'm proud to have shared with many dedicated colleagues.

Good bye, Kelowna Riverside Division.

I thank you, my family thanks you...for an outstanding standard of living.

Now onto your next phase... 

Seems We Missed the Burning "Window"

 

Open burning wasn't allowed during the Spring of 2020 because of COVID-19, and officials had hoped banning burning would keep air cleaner for victims of the virus.

The prunings just kept piling up and piling up, waiting for the Fall burning period.  Tree damage from storms added to the pile...and a concern began that we were providing a haven for a rodent infestation.

Well, the Fall burning period was announced to begin on Saturday, October 17th (and ending on Saturday, October 31st), but we were still up-limbing evergreen and maple trees so that golf course mowers could pass beneath their branches.  Days and days of hauling prunings over 15 acres to the burning pile and we were almost ready, despite the area having received 2.5 inches of rain over the previous four days. 

Slash burning began in the uplands areas of the Coldstream Valley on Tuesday or Wednesday, but we still weren't ready.

Slash burning in the hills

And our pile continued to grow.

The pile grew and grew, in all directions

The weather forecast on Thursday October 22nd warned of  90%  S N O W (yes, snow) on Friday... today.

So...here we are.  Leaves still on trees, some yellow, some green, now heavy with snow.

And it's still snowing.

Accuweather warns that overnight temperatures Saturday will dip to -11C!  

 

We did manage to get the irrigation water meter and in-line fixtures disconnected after the irrigation blow out last week...all are now in the clubhouse, safe from freezing temperatures.

odd-looking replacement meter installed recently by DoC

So...

 

The view from the family room this morning...

No comment on that dismal view through the window...

Wayyyyyy too early for snow!

Shop Roof Redone

This year's windstorms "did a number" on Highlands' shop roof.

We had planned to replace the old roof in early July but the roofing company was so busy this year that the work was postponed until mid-October.

The old roof shows missing shingles from recent windstorms

Very organized and efficient process

Preparation included replacing some plywood edges

 

After plywood repairs, "Certainteed" membrane is attached

Nearing the finish line...

Done...and good for another 30+ years

Trevor of TF Roofing, 250.308.5863...highly recommended by us!

Peace of Mind...Professional Inspection/Cleaning of Gas Fireplace

It's certainly worth the ~$100 to have a gas fireplace checked, and we'll now schedule regular maintenance late each summer before the heating season begins.

Late last winter, one of our two Carbon Monoxide detectors sounded an alarm.  A friend had had a similar situation last year and he warned of the danger that CO produces in an indoor environment. 

In our case, we couldn't discover what was wrong.  A certain number of "beeps" meant its battery needed replacing, another number of beeps meant carbon monoxide was being recorded.  But we couldn't ascertain how many beeps were occurring (before the next set of beeps started).

But there had been a strange odour when the fireplace was running...nothing we could define as a propane smell, but there was a smell nevertheless.  So it probably wasn't CO, which is odourless (that's what makes it so dangerous).

We certainly weren't experiencing any of the effects of CO.

internet photo

After a few minutes, our CO detector stopped beeping, I pressed its Reset button, changed the 9-volt battery and plugged it in again.  No beeping.

But that was a lesson.

So when our tank was filled by Superior Propane last week, the driver did his usual "soap test" (bubbles would indicate a leak).  No bubbles occurred on the line from the tank to the fireplace...at least where it enters the house.  The driver isn't responsible for doing any checks indoors.

Prior to the gas arriving, we had phoned Shepherd's Hardware in Armstrong, who supplied and installed the fireplace in our family room 20+ years ago.  During that time, their installer had also installed a steel liner in the two-storey chimney that serves the family room fireplace.  And all had been well during the ensuing years.

Shepherd's Hardware recommended one of the contractors who performs their installations.

Tim was punctual and professional.  He took apart the fireplace while the pilot light was out, vacuumed the interior of the unit, checked connections and lit the pilot light.  He then checked the exterior connections in case the gas delivery person had overlooked anything.  The fireplace was lit, and within a minute or two the fan came on and warmth spilled into the room.

During this time, Tim's carbon monoxide detector was reading ZEROS...yay!

After 10 minutes the reading remained at ZEROS, and no strange odour was noticed.  Tim stated that the odour we experienced last year was likely a result of some dust accumulation (after 20+ years--in my defense).  But that it was NOT from carbon monoxide.

Time to replace our CO detector...

A big thanks to Tim...we'll call him every year to perform maintenance.

 

And give us the peace of mind we have today!  Thanks Tim!

How I Prune my Jade Tree

My sister-in-law has a Jade Tree whose life began 20+ years ago as cuttings from my now-50+ year old Jade.  My jade is almost 6 feet tall and it's a brute.

  

These photos show -- albeit approximately -- what I've done over the years to thin out any bushiness and get it to grow tall.

First, decent pruning sheers because all cuts must be flush to the branch/trunk...don't leave half-in "knobs".

The basic idea is to remove any branchlets/leaves that hang down below an "imaged" horizontal line.  You want it to grow taller, so any branches below a horizontal line will only make it look shorter overall and bushier.

Here's my jade.  Note:  it hasn't been thinned/pruned for several years so it does need work.  But I'll only focus on one or two branches today.

We'll focus on that branch at left above the chair...hope the photos go where they belong (aaaarg...new Blogger format has me scratching my head!)

This is it closer up.

 

After a bit of pruning, there are branchlets that hang down below the imaginary horizontal line.  Those need to be cut flush to the branch they're emanating from.

 

 

Ok, almost done.  Have also cut off some branches (the green fresh cuts to the trunk are visible) next branch over.  They were growing into the center of the tree, which isn't desirable.

Yes, lots comes off!  But you don't want to "scalp" the tree...give it a few leaves at the end of branches you're keeping...that'll give it a point from which to grow next season.  Unless you're taking an entire branch off to the ground.  But that would take a little sharp-toothed handsaw...another blog post perhaps.

 

 

 

This large "below-the-horizontal" branch was kept a few years ago because a Robin always makes a nest in it. 

So...having removed any below-horizontal leaves/little branches from the left side two or three branches, the tops look like this.   No more down-hanging branchlets, no more thick and crowded branchlets.  It looks like a taller (albeit thinner) branch now.  New leaves next season will grow from the ends.

 

Thinned out, its form takes on a more dramatic shape, rather than being hidden in a mess of green leaves that simply looks like a canopy...but has no "shape".

Here is my jade, with the two large branches at the left completed.  Pruned ... but now the rest of the tree needs doing.  Another day...

 

Good luck with yours, sister-in-law.

Or hold off until you come visit again...this time with your Jades in your vehicle.  

...and if you wish to start new Jades from the cut branches, lay them on a warm and dry shelf for a week or two...the cut ends form a callus.  Then plant it -- only half an inch into not-rich potting soil.  The cutting will need three or four chopsticks poked deeply into the potting soil around it so it doesn't flop over (because it has no roots yet).  Roots will slowly form but don't overwater it.  A once a month watering is fine.  Give it morning light only.

now...will try to get the photos into my post where they belong...aaargh!

Okay, okay, not all the photos went where they belong...think (know) I'm getting too old to learn new software/template changes.

Trying out the new Blogger format.

 Actually, forced to try it as "Revert to Old Blogger Format" is no longer available.  Aaargh!

 OK, will try to post some Fall photos.

The large white building in the distance is VegPro

VegPro's operations to the right of gravel pit, south of the golf course

(photo above) The gravel pit is shrinking...

looking NW from top of golf course.

looking NNE

Praying Mantis ...

looking ENE

End of Golf Season Fun

Highlands Golf is closing two weeks early this year.
Between the wildfire smoke and the ongoing pandemic fears now that schools have re-opened (and things slow down anyway), it was an easy decision to make.

A few pics of the nicest guys in the valley...our regulars.
Glad they were able to make it despite the oppressive smoke.

Denny, men's nite mgr (at left), and Terry (Wasy had already left)

(from left) Colten, Rusty, Billy and Ottawa

Brad (at left) and Connor

from left, Tyson, Mike G., Mike, and a friend

and Keegan, our spotter on the money holes

and a Hole in One (#6) on the weekend...Happy Golfer

Season's over.
Wish we could say the same about the pandemic.
Alas...

Stay safe and happy everyone!